expatriate life

People (especially Americans) say time is money. But the fact is both of these commodities are wasted without ATTENTION. Let there be no mistake, attention is power. When we apply attention to time it's magnified and when we apply attention to money it’s multiplied. I’ve got all kinds of quotes for you: In business: "Attention…Read more One Thing More Valuable than Time and Money

You've taken a risk. You're brave enough to get out into the world and away from your family and friends. You're going to live and work abroad as an expatriate writer. I know it and you know it. The fact is that you are embarking on an extremely meaningful life. Except that when you finally get a chance…Read more Brain Training for Expatriate Writers

One thing that blocks people from using their second language is fear of making mistakes. Here's the big secret, making mistakes is a HUGE advantage in connecting with other people. In fact, if you're single and want to get out more, just throw in a few extra grammatical errors for good measure, and I bet you…Read more Humility: The Best Kept Secret for Universal Communication

You HAVE to journal. Yes you. It engages you in your life, making everything more exciting. And if life starts to get too exciting, you already have this calm and faithful habit to help you work things out. Journaling is a natural metabolizing process for our thoughts, and therefore your wildest dreams. In fact it´s kind of weird…Read more Journaling: Make Life Braver.

I teach at a bilingual private school in Bogotá, Colombia, and a short while ago I was opening up new preschool material with another American expat, who was living abroad for the first time. Among the books was Dr. Seuss's classic: Oh The Places You´ll Go. Somehow my young friend had made it all the way to 24 without…Read more Oh, the Places You´ll Go…